Life Support
by AwkwardCat16
Summary: Set the summer after OOTP, Harry, drowning in grief and the weight of the prophecy is in desperate need of someone to keep him afloat. Enter Margaret Graham, a perfectly normal, if somewhat introverted fifteen year old muggle girl who finds herself intrigued by her new neighbor at Number 4 Privet Drive. The boy with the beautiful emerald eyes. Rated T for language.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** This is AU somewhat and for my own purposes, I'm saying that the Harry Potter timeframe has been bumped up, meaning that this is taking place in the summer of 2015. This is mainly due to the fact that this is my first ever fanfiction and I would like to focus more on character development and plot then the tiny little references to match the nineties time period. If you decide to read this, please review. Any constructive criticism is welcome but please, no hate. If it isn't your cup of tea, then kindly hit the back button and read things that you will enjoy instead of leaving hurtful reviews.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own anything to do with Harry Potter or any other popular references in this fic. If you recognize it, it's not mine, I'm just borrowing some characters for a little while.

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Chapter 1

Margaret 'Maggie' Graham heaved a great sigh as she finished unloading the last of her boxes from her dad's car. Wiping beads of sweat out of her eyes she wondered not for the first time if perhaps bringing ALL of her books with her to England had been the wisest decision. She was only staying for the summer after all, and it wasn't like her dad wouldn't try and find other ways to occupy her time, however social and out of her comfort zone they may be. On the other hand…. Maggie looked down at the boxes by her feet, she was staying for the WHOLE summer...and what if she got an urge to re-read a book that she hadn't brought with her? Disaster would occur, that's what and besides, she was already in England so there was no use contemplating what-if's and all that could be anyway. Hauling one of the many boxes of her possessions into her arms Maggie mentally shrugged and walked into her father's new house at number 5 Privet Drive.

Her father, Evan Graham, had moved to England over the winter due to a work promotion. He was an electrical engineer who worked long hours and made good money. Having gotten a divorce from Maggie's mom Connie four years previously, and with reassurances from his teen daughter that she would visit him over the summer, Evan had had no problem accepting the job and uprooting his life to move to England. In his six months in the country he had finally gotten used to driving on the left side, and overall had found the sights and the people to be quite pleasant. His co-workers had all been very generous and welcoming, showing him the best restaurants and hideaways that they knew about. The only people who hadn't been receptive to his presence were his overly nosy neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Dursley of number 4 Privet Drive. Both of the Dursleys, along with their whale of a son had brought over a rather garish fruit cake as a welcome to the neighborhood kind of thing and, while they had started off seemingly pleasant, once Mrs. Dursley had discovered that he was divorced she had immediately cooled towards him. They had left soon after, leaving Mr. Graham with the distinct impression that they were the sort of people he ought to avoid, and a disgusting fruit cake that was immediately tossed in the trash.

Maggie had heard the story of her father's meeting with the Dursleys (and had giggled uncontrollably when she saw the disgusted wrinkle of her father's nose when he recalled "that damned fruitcake") on the car ride from the airport and was not looking forward to becoming acquainted with them at all. She had enough trouble communicating normally with perfectly nice people as it was. Maggie wasn't antisocial, well not completely, but she was rather socially awkward and while she liked the idea of conversing with people and having friends to hang out with, she often failed at properly expressing that sentiment to her peers...or speaking coherently at all really. Her social interaction limit had a fairly low ceiling and when Maggie did speak, it tended to be about subjects that other teens she knew couldn't care less about. Like books, and music (mostly alternative, not that bubblegum generic pop crap) and the weird topics that sometimes passed through her brain and out of her mouth without her consent due to her complete lack of brain to mouth filter and tendency to not realize she was speaking out loud. One time she accidentally asked her crush why men had nipples if they couldn't have children, and the look of "who is this freak" that she got was enough to make her hightail it out of there even if she still believes that it was a valid question (because seriously why?). Still contemplating the mysteries of male biology, Maggie hardly realized when her dad called out her name.

"Margaret….Maggie….Mags!" The sound of her father's concerned voice was enough to snap Maggie out of her thoughts and almost enough to make her drop her box of books in surprise.

"Huh?...What?" The bewildered expression on his fifteen year olds face soothed Evan Graham's concerns about his daughter's lack of response. Chuckling slightly he smiled at his daughter.

"I asked if you wanted some help...lost in thought again sweetheart?" The light teasing tone of her father made Maggie smile and laugh lightly.

"I don't zone out nearly as much as you do old man, and yes some help would be awesome." Nodding his head and with a playful glare at his daughter, Evan left the house to retrieve some more of his daughter's boxes noting in the back of his mind the absence of the Dursleys car across the street and how strange it was that they would be gone on a Saturday afternoon.

* * *

While her father was outside retrieving more of her things Maggie slowly and carefully maneuvered up the rather steep, albeit carpeted stairs in her father's new home. She still couldn't believe that she was in England for a whole summer. When she had first heard of her father's job offer she had of course urged him to take it, it was the opportunity of a lifetime after all, but she had missed him every day. Getting to spend an entire summer with him, in England no less, sounded pretty damn close to perfect and she couldn't wait for the summer to really start.

Reaching the top of the stairs and stopping to prop the box between her hip and the wall, Maggie opened the first door to her left, her designated bedroom for the duration of her stay, and immediately fell in love. Her father had decorated it just the way he knew she would like. Various soothing tones of grey popped out at her and the white wrought iron bed with grey bedding looked so inviting she thought she could fall asleep instantly were she to lay down on it. Because Maggie's room was on the corner of the house, there was a large window overlooking the backyard and a small window above her bed that faced the side of number 4 next door. Both windows were open and the white eyelet lace curtains that her father had picked out moved slightly in the summer breeze. White bookshelves stood empty and inviting, beckoning her to fill them with all of her favorite stories. Maggie was suddenly struck with the thought that though she had been here less than twenty minutes she could live in this house forever. A soft chuckle from behind her once again tore her from her thoughts and she spun to face her father, who was standing in the entrance to her new room, a fond smile on his face as he looked down at her.

"You like it?" The bright smile that grew on his daughter's face and the hug that she attacked him with which knocked him back a few steps answered Evan's question easily enough for him. "Sweetheart...I'm an old man remember and you're hug is crushing my fragile ribs." Sheepishly looking up from where her head was buried in her father's chest Maggie loosened her arms from the death grip she had on his waist and backed up.

"Sorry…" the apology came out in an embarrassed mumble that only got worse at the amused look in her dad's eye. "It's just….it's perfect Dad, absolutely perfect." Smiling at the confession Evan swung an arm around his daughter's shoulder and led her downstairs to where the rest of her things were, both content and lost in thoughts of what was sure to be a spectacular summer.

* * *

Harry James Potter, The Boy-Who-Lived, leading third of Hogwart's "Golden Trio", whatever you want to call him, sat alone on the Hogwarts Express as it raced through the English countryside. Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, his two best friends in the entire world were off performing their prefect duties and any of his other friends who may have felt inclined to sit with him, all quickly scrambled once they caught on to how much the fifteen year old savior of the Wizarding World didn't want them in his space. As much as he didn't want company, the long hours sitting in silence in the train compartment alone offered Harry no distraction from his own mind, and thoughts of his disastrous fifth year at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry filtered unbidden through Harry's psyche.

His godfather, Sirius Black, the only person he'd ever known who had bothered to care for him, to look out for HIM instead of the other way around, and one of the only connections Harry had to his murdered parents, was dead. And it was all Harry's fault. If only he had listened to Hermione, had considered the possibility of Sirius's imprisonment being a trap, had tried to keep Voldemort out of his blasted head. If he had done any of that, then Sirius would still be alive, would still be here, and Harry wouldn't feel like he was drowning. The last two weeks had been unbearable for Harry. Everyone was looking at him with awe-filled eyes because they finally realized that he was telling the truth about Voldemort's return and because of some _idiot_ in the Ministry of Magic being unable to keep his trap shut, they all thought that he was some sort of Chosen One. None of them knew that Sirius Black, a man who had recently been exonerated of all criminal charges, was his godfather. None of them knew how much laughter and love and _hope_ that Sirius Black had brought into Harry's life, and none of them knew how completely and utterly lost and scared that Harry Potter felt without that safe presence in his life. Here he was, not even sixteen, and the literal weight of an entire world was on his shoulders. It was too much of a burden, and he honestly didn't know for how much longer he would be able to bear it. He couldn't even save his godfather, what made them think that he could save an entire world?

The sound of the compartment door sliding open broke Harry from his depressing thoughts and he managed a weak smile at his friends as Ron and Hermione collapsed onto the seat opposite of him, Hermione clutching a thick book and Ron a bag of assorted candies.

"Ay meh." Harry deciphered the garbled words coming from Ron's candy stuffed mouth as some sort of greeting (hey mate) and responded accordingly before turning his attention to his female best friend who was staring at Ron with a sort of revolted fascination.

"Honestly Ronald…"The bushy-haired witch sighed and shook her head ignoring Ron's unintelligible questions and turning her head to face Harry, who she could at least converse with without bits of every flavored bean flying towards her. "Hello Harry, how has the ride been, I'm terribly sorry that we couldn't sit with you but you know that we can't shirk our prefect duties even though we absolutely would if we could and"

"Hermione, stop it's fine really," Harry interrupted his friend knowing that she could continue to apologize till the end of the train ride if she was left unchecked. "I'm fine, and the ride has been perfectly fine too." Hermione searched her friend's face, obviously looking for a lie in his emerald eyes but seemed satisfied, albeit a little suspicious as she nodded her head.

"Well okay then Harry if you're sure, I suspect we'll be arriving soon as it's already almost three." She still didn't seem entirely convinced as to her friends well-being, but when he managed a small smile at her and nod of his head, she cracked open her book on advanced runic theory and began to read, leaving Harry to turn back to Ron, who was still eating.

"Oo un ome?" The question directed at the raven-haired teen was coupled with a freckled hand extending the bag of sweets towards him. Picking out a licorice wand and offering a grateful smile at his friend Harry replied.

"Thanks Ron." At Ron's returning grunt Harry turned his head to the window throwing the compartment into a comfortable silence, broken only by Hermione turning a page, and the crinkle of plastic as Ron dug through the wrappers to find a sweet he hadn't yet eaten.

Ten minutes later, the Hogwarts Express was pulling into platform 9 ¾ and Harry began to feel the first stirrings of panic. It was different, dealing with his grief when he had the love and support of his friends, it didn't seem so impossible when he was with them. He was able to focus on them and forget about everything else but living with the _Dursleys?!_ They hated him, belittled him, made him feel about as unloved and unwanted as it was possible to feel. There was no way that he could get through this with the Dursleys as his only support system for three months. Not only that but with the Dursleys there were no distractions...just Harry and his chores and his mind for three empty months. How was he supposed to do this? He couldn't do this!

"Arry….Harry!...HARRY!" Hermione's shrill voice shocked Harry out of his thoughts and back into his surroundings, forcing him to become aware of the fact that he was breathing heavily and his two best friends were looking at him, trunks at their side, worry clear on their faces.

"Sorry, I'm sorry...it's just….the Dursley's...you know how much I hate it there.." Harry trailed off awkwardly, one hand coming up to rub the back of his head as the other reached for his school trunk. Two worried expressions morphed into those of sympathy causing Harry to inwardly cringe and Ron and Hermione were quick to reassure him that he would be fine.

"Don't worry mate, Dumbledore will have you out of that dump in no time, you can spend the summer at the Burrow...mum won't mind you know she loves having you around."

"Ronald's right, I'm sure Headmaster Dumbledore will get you away from them within weeks." Their reassurances did little to soothe Harry's tormented thoughts, but he offered them a small smile regardless, and exited the train. After trading heartfelt goodbyes with his friends and promises to keep in touch and to see them soon, Harry walked through the divider and back into the muggle world where his "family" were waiting.

The Dursley's looked as they always did. Vernon, the patriarch, resembled a grossly obese walrus. Petunia was still rail thin and had the same pinched expression as ever and Dudley, their only son, still looked like the Pillsbury dough boy's larger and much more unpleasant cousin. They were despicable, judgemental, hypocritical bigots, and Harry hated any time spent in their presence. Unfortunately for him, he was now being sentenced to three months in the Dursley house, in the hell that was number 4 Privet Drive.

"Hurry up boy! We haven't got all day, and we've already had some of your _freaks_ come and talk to us!" Uncle Vernon's purple face and clenched fists were signs that his temper was already at peak point and to provoke him would be unwise, so Harry just nodded silently and walked behind his relatives to their car.

Pulling up at number 4 Privet Drive, felt like a minor blessing to Harry after the rather unpleasant car ride that he had been subjected to. The first half hour had been filled with Uncle Vernon's ranting about anything and everything including him and how much the Dursleys didn't want him tainting their lovely home. The second had been filled with Aunt Petunia's sharp and nasally voice criticizing everyone in the neighborhood including a man named Mr. Graham, who had apparently moved into number 5 after the old owners left. According to Aunt Petunia, Mr. Graham was a raggedy looking man who hadn't been able to hold down a wife in the United States and so had fled to the U.K. His teenage daughter was also supposedly staying with him this summer and Aunt Petunia shuddered to think what kind of miscreant she must be with a father like that. Harry found this piece of information somewhat interesting, as there were no other girls in the neighborhood and he had never met an American before, but before he could think to deeply on this mystery girl the car was rolling to a stop in the Dursley driveway and Harry was snapped back into depressing thoughts of how terrible the summer was likely to be.

* * *

Having successfully gotten all of her boxes into her room, and after a late lunch with her father, Margaret Graham sat in her new room meticulously placing all of her books unto her shelf. All of her clothes had already been put into the appropriate drawers and any other personal items were scattered either on the desk her father had provided or strewn across the covers of her new bed. Her ipod had already been plugged into the speaker and the soft tones of "Skinny Love" by Bon Iver echoed throughout the room, loud enough for her to hear over the clacking of books hitting the shelf, but still quiet enough for her to hear the sounds of a car pulling into the driveway next door.

Curious, and admittedly wanting to see if the Dursleys looked as unpleasant as her father had described them to act, Maggie clambered onto her bed and stared out the window above her bed, the one that faced the side of the Dursley's giving her a good view of their driveway. Four people exited the car making Maggie temporarily confused as her father had said that they only had one son but then she figured that the fourth figure was a friend of the boy or a relative come to visit. Vernon Dursley was just as large as her father had said he was and the wife's pinched expression was visible even from her window. She was guessing that the large boy was Dudley, seeing as he completely resembled his father, but the fourth figure was a mystery to her. They had immediately headed to the open trunk to retrieve luggage of some sort and Maggie couldn't see anything else no matter how hard she tried. Until the trunk suddenly closed and her breath temporarily caught in her throat.

He was a _boy_. A boy who looked no older than her and had messy raven hair. He looked reasonably muscled from what Maggie could tell from her window vantage point and the ease with which he hefted the large trunk from the Dursley's trunk only corroborated her theory...both about him being strong, and about him being a relative staying with the Dursley's. She couldn't tell much else from her distance but she could tell that he was very cute and she couldn't stop the blush that spread across her cheeks at the thought. Just as she was starting to realize that she should probably stop staring at her new neighbors like some creeper out of her window, the mystery boy suddenly glanced up and _directly at her_! WIth a squeak Maggie tumbled from her place on her bed, hitting the light wooden floors of her room with a groan and mortified by the knowledge that she had just been caught staring at her new neighbor.

* * *

Hefting his school trunk, Harry listened to the all too familiar sounds of Privet Drive. Or lack of sound really. Privet Drive was scary quiet pretty much all of the time. As his relatives disappeared into the house without any offers of assistance (predictable) Harry had the strangest urge that someone was watching him. Not finding eyes on him in his initial sweep of his surroundings but then remembering what his aunt had said about new neighbors, Harry glanced towards the upstairs window of number 5 only to find the face of a girl staring back at him. Once he made eye contact the girl's eyes widened almost comically large and she immediately dropped out of sight. Actually huffing out a small, barely there yet genuine laugh at the girl's embarrassed expression Harry entered his relative's house, the fleeting thought entering his head through tormented thoughts of Sirius and prophecy, that the short second he had seen the mystery girl, she had looked rather cute.

* * *

 **A/N** : This is the first chapter of my first ever fanfiction. Reviews and constructive criticism are welcome and appreciated as I would love to hear what you like and what I can improve on. I stated on my profile that I wanted a story where Harry meets a completely normal muggle girl. This means that Margaret will not have any secret magical powers or mysterious connections to Harry's past. She's just a girl who can give Harry what I've always felt he needed. A taste of a normal teenage life. I don't know how long this fic will be, but it will at least span the summer until Harry goes back to school. This is supposed to be a rather simple, lighthearted, normal teen summer romance.

Next chapter Harry and Maggie will finally meet :)


	2. Chapter 2

Here it is, Chapter 2. Please note that all chapters will not be uploaded this frequently in the future but it is the weekend, and I've got both the time and the motivation so here it is. :)

 **Disclaimer:** Disclaimer from chapter one still applies...if you recognize it, it isn't mine.

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Chapter 2

It would be almost two days before Maggie saw the mystery boy again, and when it did happen it was entirely by accident. She had regaled her embarrassing tale of window creeping and subsequent tumbling off of the bed to her father over dinner that night, and the laughter that he let out was enough for her to resolve to just avoid the newcomer as much as possible. This had worked reasonably well for awhile, but after two days of getting settled (no dad, she was _not_ hiding!) Evan decided that his daughter really needed to get outside and breathe some fresh air. Venturing outdoors in the summer was right up there on Maggie's list of least favorite things to do (along with public speaking and forced social interaction), but after numerous threats from her father to get her butt outside _or else_ , Maggie decided that a short walk to the park several streets over was not nearly as bad as whatever demonic scheme her father could cook up. So of course the first person she sees when she reaches the park, book in hand, is the mystery boy.

She almost turns around and walks home, _almost_ , but then she realizes that he doesn't seem to be aware of her presence, doesn't seem to be aware of anything really, and she pauses to look at him more carefully. He looks _sad_ , his head is bowed, raven-hair being the only head feature that Maggie can really see, shoulders are slumped, and his arms are wrapped tightly around his stomach as his feet slowly move the swing that he is seated in. _Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth_ until Maggie suddenly decided that she couldn't take it anymore. It may not be the kind of thing that she does, _ever_ , and her stomach may be clenching uncomfortably while her palms grew sweaty around her well-loved copy of The Count of Monte Cristo, but right then that boy looked as alone and sad as Maggie sometimes felt so she gathered what little courage she possessed, swallowed the bile creeping up her throat, and walked over to the swing next to him, plopping down with a shaky exhale of breath.

* * *

Harry sat in the same swing that he had spent most of the previous summer, trying to whittle away the hours and drown out his thoughts with the familiar, somewhat comforting, sound of chains squeaking and continuous rocking. _Back and forth, back and forth, back an- Sirius-prophecy-all my fault-it's all my fault-Sirius-SIRIUS-back and forth, back and forth._ He had spent entire days on this same swing the previous summer without being interrupted (he _was_ the Dursley's delinquent nephew after all) barring some unfortunate instances with Dudley and his group of thugs, so the sound of someone sitting on the swing next to him was a completely foreign one, enough to shake Harry from his thoughts completely and turn to face this newcomer with suspicious eyes.

It was the staring girl, his new neighbor at Number 5, who he hadn't seen since his first day back "home". Now that he was able to get a proper look at her, he realized that his previous assessment of her had been correct. She was cute, with curly medium brown hair reaching just below her shoulders and big brown eyes. There was a smattering of freckles across her face and, being able to look down a good couple inches even sitting, Harry deduced that she was rather short as well. However, cute as she may be, it didn't explain why she was sitting next to _him_ when, judging by the book in her hand, she had come to the park to do some reading.

"Hello" The soft-spoken American accent reached Harry's ears and he noticed that she sounded quite nervous.

"Hello.." He trailed off, somewhat awkwardly, as he had no idea what her name was and no idea still why she was conversing with him.

"OH, sorry, umm...I'm Margaret Graham but most people call me Maggie, I'm staying with my dad, who moved in next door to the Dursley's, who I know that you're staying with obviously, because I was watching you a few days ago, well not watching really and crap that sounds really creepy doesn't it?" Not giving Harry time to respond to the question she continued, "It wasn't meant to be creepy I promise I was just curious but anyway I'm Maggie and what's your name?"

Having said all of this extremely fast it took a second for Harry to realize that a) she was done and b) she had asked for his name. "My name is Harry, just Harry."

* * *

"My name is Harry, just Harry." The accented words of her swing companion floated through Margaret's brain, which was busy criticizing herself for the veritable word vomit she had just spewed, and she smiled a small smile at the fact that the boy, _Harry_ , didn't seem weirded out by her yet. _Harry_ was definitely cuter than she had been able to determine from her window. His black hair stuck every which way and he had a pair of emerald eyes behind worn out glasses. Maggie caught sight of what looked like a scar beneath the mop of hair covering Harry's forehead but she didn't think that it was her place to ask about it and so directed her attention back to Harry's eyes, which were regarding her with no small hint of suspicion.

"Oh crap, I'm bothering you aren't I? I'm sorry it's just I was coming here to read my book because my dad said that I had to come outside and I saw you here and you just looked really sad and I wanted to see if you were okay and to apologize for creeping on you the other day, and as you can probably tell I ramble when I get nervous, but I can leave if you want?" Silence met her words and she got up to leave before she embarrassed herself anymore.

* * *

Once again the girl, _Maggie_ , spoke rather fast, brown eyes growing large and worried at the thought of disturbing him and he wasn't able to answer right away. She apparently took this as a confirmation to leave because she got up with a mumbled "Sorry," and began to walk away.

"Wait," the word was out of Harry's mouth before he could stop it and Maggie turned to look at him curiously. "I'm sorry, you don't have to leave and you weren't bothering me and I didn't think that you were 'creeping' on me the other day. You just talk really fast and it took me a moment to catch up." His words caused a soft blush to rise up on Maggie's cheeks but she retook her seat beside him nonetheless.

"I know I talk fast, my dad is always telling me to slow down, but I get really nervous meeting new people." Maggie's quiet admission turned Harry's attention fully towards her and he offered her a small smile.

"I'm not so good with meeting new people either, so I guess you and I are in the same boat." Maggie chuckled lightly at his words and smiled completely back at him.

"I guess we are…" She trailed off then and paused, as if she were afraid to ask him her next question, but his attention was turned from her obviously nervous expression and brought to the book that she still held tightly in her hands. He couldn't see the the title but the cover appeared to have a man with rather large sideburns and Harry hadn't really read any muggle books before. Maggie seemed to notice where his attention had gone because she offered him another question. "It's The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, have you read it?"

"Uhhh no, I haven't, what's it about?" His question seemed to bring some sort of new life to Maggie because her eyes lit up as she held the book up for his examination while she explained.

"It's about this man who is wrongfully imprisoned for years on end and when he finally escapes he seeks revenge on those who imprisoned him and wronged his family! Edmond Dantes braves years in a harsh prison at sea before escaping. When he does escape he has all sorts of fantastical adventures before finally enacting brutal revenge on those who were responsible for his wrongful imprisonment!" Her voice was passionate as she talked and the way she described the book actually mad Harry somewhat curious. That and the whole premise reminded him a little bit of Sirius. Glancing more carefully at the book, Harry could tell that it had been read many times and was obviously well loved by the girl in front of him.

"It sounds very interesting, more interesting than most books I've read anyway," His words brought yet another small smile to Maggie's face and she immediately held it out towards him.

* * *

Maggie watched Harry's face as she described one of her favorite books. He definitely seemed interested and she watched as he bent his head to examine it more closely, the bridge of his glasses slipping down his nose as he did.

"It sounds very interesting, more interesting than most books I've read anyway." Smiling as she always did when someone complimented one of her babies ( _books_ she mentally corrected) Maggie held the book out towards him without another thought.

"Would you like to borrow it? I've read it lots of times and you seem really interested," Her question seemed to shock her emerald eyed companion as he glanced at her with wide eyes, obviously not expecting such an offer.

"Well, I'm not really the fastest reader you see, or the most dedicated, and I would hate to keep it from you for too long…" once again Harry trailed off and rubbed the back of his head, obviously somewhat embarrassed at his perceived reading flaws.

"Nonsense," was Maggie's immediate response. "I'm staying right next door Harry, you don't need to worry about time restrictions, plus I get the impression that you're not the kind to destroy other people's property. It's an absolutely wonderful book and I really think that you should give it a try." Once more she held the book out towards him imploringly, practically shoving it in his face at this point and, after about ten seconds of staring at it, he took it with a resigned sigh.

"Fine, fine, I'll try the book although I'm warning you now Maggie, if I don't like it there will be consequences." After blinking at Harry in surprise at the teasing tone he used towards the end (she didn't think they were quite at the ribbing stage yet) Maggie let out a light laugh and reassured him again.

"You'll love it, I'm sure. Even back home when we were assigned this in school kids who hated reading anything liked it." Nodding his head in apparent acceptance at this, Harry turned his attention to the back cover of the book he now held in his hand. Maggie took this time to slowly swing back and forth and surreptitiously observe him. He looked much more relaxed now than he had when she had first seen him in the park. His head was still bent, but now it was to look at her book than just because, his hands were no longer clenched tightly in the sides of his plain grey t-shirt, and although his shoulders still slumped slightly, it was more reminiscent of typical teenage slouching than sadness. He had even smiled at her, and joked with her. Feeling glad (and maybe a little proud) that her attempts at making him feel a little bit better had at least somewhat succeeded, Maggie couldn't help the beaming grin that took over her face.

"What's got you in such a good mood?" The question held a tint of amusement in it, and Maggie suddenly realized that she probably looked like an idiot staring at him with a dopey grin on her face. Blushing heavily, she averted her gaze to the ground and tried to answer normally.

"Nothing." Okay so it came out as more of a mumble, sue her. It was the best she could do given the embarrassing circumstances. Harry hummed, obviously not convinced but dropped the subject leaving the two new friends ( _acquaintances?friends?...Friends_ ) in a companionable silence for several minutes. That is until Maggie decided to break it with one of those awkward and stilted questions that had scared away both potential friends and potential suitors. "So why are you living with the Dursleys?"

Harry visibly tensed up at the question and Maggie mentally smacked herself, _why is that any of your business you idiot! Could you be more socially awkward!_ but answered the question regardless, although in noticeably more strained tones than before. "Well I'm their nephew, I live with them in the summer and during the school year I attend boarding school up north." There was obviously a lot more to it than that but Maggie refrained from asking, deciding that she had caused enough tension already.

"Boarding school...that sounds interesting. I live with my mom in a small town in Ohio and I go to public school there. I'm only here now because my dad moved here over the winter and wanted me to spend the summer with him. Not that I'm complaining of course because, HELLO, England. He and my mom divorced a few years back so they have a kind of joint custody thing." _Nice going Mags, why don't you just tell him your whole life story while you're at it and make it even more awkward._

* * *

Harry was simultaneously relieved at the change in topic and unsure of what to do with the information he had just been given about Maggie's life. Eventually he just settled with an awkward "Sorry about your parents?" which came of as more of a question and was accompanied by another hand rubbing the back of his head.

"No, no it's fine," Maggie seemed anxious to reassure him, "It wasn't a nasty divorce or anything, they just simply...fell out of love. They're both happier this way."

"I see."

"I've just made things incredibly awkward haven't I?" Maggie's question came out as more of a groan and her head fell against one of the chains holding her swing.

Harry let out a small laugh and couldn't help but reply with a teasing, "Just a bit," that had her laughing and aiming a weak kick at his jean clad shin.

"Oh quiet you." Maggie's rather weak comeback to Harry's taunt had both teens laughing lightly and had Harry in particular feeling lighter than he had in days, weeks even. He couldn't remember the last time that he had joked around with someone like this. Even with Ron and Hermione there was always this tension. Always the knowledge that Voldemort was out there just waiting to strike and everyone was looking at him to find a way to fix everything. With this new girl, Maggie there was just banter. It was light-hearted and _fun_ and one hundred percent, honest-to-Merlin _normal_. And he liked it. A lot.

Lost in his thoughts, Harry didn't notice his new friend glance down at the watch on her wrist, but he did notice when she suddenly stood from her place next to him and stretched her arms above her head with a small groan. Cocking his head in a silent question, Harry asked what she was doing.

"It's nearing four and I promised my dad I would make him dinner tonight. Dinner's at five thirty and I still have to figure out what I'm making so I'd better head on home." Noticing that the sky was a bit lower in the sky now Harry figured that it was probably time for him to head back as well, and he wanted to spend a little more time with his new neighbor.

"I can walk back with you if you'd like? It's probably about time for me to head back as well, and I can get an early start," he held up her book, "on this." Grinning widely, Maggie nodded her head and offered him a hand to pull him from his seat. Harry took it, and couldn't help the soft groan that escaped as his knees popped and his back straightened for the first time in hours. Once he reached his full height, he realized that Maggie was even shorter than he had previously assumed, the top of her head barely reaching his collarbone. She also appeared to notice the height difference, because with a resigned sigh,as if she were used to being the shortest person around, she turned around and they began the trek to Privet Drive together in comfortable silence.

* * *

"Tacos." The blank stare Harry received from his tiny companion made him realize that elaboration might be a good idea so he quickly added words in order to clarify. "For your dinner, you should make some tacos. They're really easy and quick so you don't have to worry too much. Plus they're a great summer food." Nodding her head thoughtfully Maggie's bewildered stare turned to one of comprehension as they turned the corner unto Privet Drive.

"Tacos….I think we have the stuff for tacos." Busy mentally trying to figure out if her father's pantry had the necessary ingredients for Harry's suggestion Maggie didn't even notice when she reached her father's house, although she did notice when Harry stopped walking rather abruptly. "Harry?..." His response was to point his finger to the houses they were standing by. "Ohhh….."

"I should go, but thanks for the book yeah, and I'll see you tomorrow?..." He was nervous asking the question as he didn't want to assume anything but he really wanted to see Maggie again.

She smiled brightly at him and he felt a grin of his own slip unbidden on to his face at her happy exclamation of "definitely!" With one more parting wave at him and another thanks for his food suggestion Maggie walked into her house and it was only after the door thudded shut behind her that Harry made his way into his own.

* * *

Maggie couldn't stop smiling as she got ready for bed that night. Her good mood had been noticed by her father who, after complimenting the dinner she had made for him (tacos) had asked about her day. This of course had caused Maggie to go off on a long-winded explanation of her day and she ended up spending ten minutes talking excitedly to her father about Harry before she realized that he was laughing silently at her enthusiasm. He had only stated that he was glad she had made a friend to hang out with while he was at work before talking about his day in return.

It was only hours later, as she was about to shut her eyes and go to sleep, that Maggie realized the full implications of what she had done. She had talked to a _boy_. A boy who was her age and who had seemed to enjoy spending time with her, and even wanted to talk to her again. The most astounding part? Not once after the initial meeting did Maggie feel too nervous or anxious around Harry. It was really easy to talk to him, and to joke with him in a way that it had never been for her before. Uplifted by the thoughts swirling around in her head Maggie went to bed dreaming of emerald eyes, and all of the possibilities that they held.

* * *

While Maggie slept in the house next door Harry was wide awake in his bed. After he had entered the Dursley home he had immediately been forced to work on dinner, which he was then given the worst bits of, and then sent to his room. The sudden silence and solitude coupled with the absence of any distractions left Harry once again vulnerable to his own mind. Tired of the own agony his mind was forcing on him and the painful memories he couldn't seem to escape Harry searched his room for anything to keep his mind occupied. Homework was out of the question, he had completed it the day before in an effort to distract himself and just as he was getting desperate Harry's eyes fell on the book on his bedside table. Allowing a small smile to grace his face at the thought of the girl who had given it to him, Harry picked up The Count of Monte Cristo, cracked it open, and started to read.

* * *

 **A/N:** Here is chapter 2 of Life Support! Please, to any of you who stumble on this story, leave me some reviews. I would love your opinions. Do you like Maggie? Am I keeping Harry in character enough? Is it moving too fast? Too slow? Is my writing style okay? Hell, do you like the story in general? Let me know and thank you for taking the time to read this :)


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** I had several chapters already written, which is the reason that three chapters were published in one day. Future chapters are not yet written so updating will be much slower from here on out.

 **Disclaimer:** If you recognize it, it isn't mine. I'm just borrowing it for creative purposes

* * *

Chapter 3

The next several days were the best that Harry could ever remember having at Privet Drive. Him and Maggie met up everyday at the park and spent hours talking, laughing, and living in a way that neither of them really had before. She was so easy to talk to, and opening up to her, sharing his thoughts and ideas about life and the world (an obviously edited version so as to not accidentally spill the magical beans) came as easy as breathing to Harry. For someone who could barely admit to his best friends when something was wrong with him, this was huge. He found himself joking a lot more than he ever had in the past, doing nearly anything to make his new friend smile and laugh. Maggie opened up to him a lot too, and seemed to completely lose her nervous exterior in his presence over that first week.

He discovered that Maggie had always wanted to come to England and had practically forced her father to take the promotion so she could visit him, and that she had a severe case of "word vomit-itis" as she rather ruefully coined it (the disgruntled expression on her face had had him laughing for two minutes straight). He learned Maggie's likes and dislikes, her favorite books, music and movies, and what kind of weather made her the most happy (thunderstorms, so that she had an excuse to curl up with a book all day). He listened to long conjectures on whatever topic happened to filter through her brain at any given moment and happily bantered with her if they happened to disagree on something.

* * *

Maggie was having the time of her life in England, with Harry. With her dad working during the weekdays she was able to spend entire days with him at what she had begun to call "their park" in her head. Days spent swinging gently or just laying on the grass in the shade seemed to slip by in whirlwinds of fun and happiness and that odd feeling she started getting in her stomach when she saw Harry smile or heard him laugh. She had never been able to do this with someone before. Just sit, and talk about anything and everything that crossed her mind and listen to whatever contributions Harry made during their conversations. She learned a lot about Harry during that first week.

She learned the basic facts; that Harry's full name was Harry James Potter, he was fifteen years old and that his parents had died in a car accident when he was a baby (which was when he got the jagged scar on his forehead) and so he came to live with his mother's sister and her family. She learned that the boarding school he went to was in Scotland and that he went there because his parents had enrolled him at birth; that his two best friends Ron and Hermione were about as opposite as it was possible to be. It was when he offered her more personal bits of information that she felt really connected to him. When he told her that his birthday was July 31 (and she panicked because she had no idea what to get him), and that his favorite class was Self-Defense because he always did better practical work than written. When he shared with her his fears of the future, and the uncertainty he felt about his chosen career path (law enforcement). The pressure he felt from the students and staff at his school because his parents were apparently phenomenal students and he didn't feel like he was as good as them. Maggie discovered that he didn't like the Dursley's and they didn't like him (a fact that didn't sit well with her at all). What she didn't discover, was why her friend had been so sad that first day in the park. Although she supposed that dead parents and living with the Dursleys was reason enough, Maggie still felt that there was something else eating away at Harry. She would see it, sometimes, in the way his eyes would darken and his shoulders would bow suddenly. It took her until Friday to work up the courage to ask him.

* * *

"Harry?" The soft calling of his name coming from the person to his right caused the ebony haired teen in question to open his eyes and prop himself up on his elbows from where he was laying under their favorite tree. Turning his gaze to Maggie, who was sitting cross-legged and leaning against the trunk of the tree, he raised an eyebrow.

"Yes?" As he looked at her she seemed to grow nervous and began fidgeting with the grass under her palms.

"You know that first time that I sat next to you in the park?" Harry nodded, deciding that a snarky retort on how it was only five days ago wouldn't be appreciated at the moment and Maggie continued. "I wasn't going to say hello you know. I was actually getting ready to turn around and head right back home because I was still embarrassed about you catching me staring at you, but then I saw-" She cut off and seemed to be gathering her courage for something. "I saw you, and you looked really, really _sad_ , and sometimes we'll be talking and you will just get this-this _haunted_ look in your eyes and I hate seeing you that way and I just-I just want to know- are you okay Harry?"

Maggie's question caught Harry completely off guard and Harry was getting ready to brush it off, to offer platitudes and false reassurances that he was fine and that she didn't need to worry about him, but then he looked at her. Her eyes were pleading with him to tell the truth. They were so open and innocent and so genuinely concerned for _him_ , for whether or not _he_ was okay, that he couldn't offer her a lie. So he told her the truth, well, the muggle version of it anyway.

Harry told her about Sirius and how he was his godfather and how he was gone forever _._ He told her every memory he had of Sirius, about how the letters he would receive from his godfather, from his true family, would make him feel loved and cared for and _safe._ How Sirius would tell him stories about his father, and the pranks they would play together at school. He told her everything and she listened. She sat there and listened to him as he expelled every single bitter, angry, guilt-ridden thought that had made its home in his head in recent weeks. As he raged at the world, at the injustice of losing his only father-figure after only two years of being able to know him. Her eyes never wavered from his form, and as he finished telling her about how empty he had felt in the past few weeks, he suddenly began to become aware of what he had done. He had told Maggie, a muggle girl who he had scarcely met a week ago, _everything_. Barring the prophecy of course, although he was sure that if there had been a way to explain _that_ in a muggle way then he would have. What was he thinking, dumping all of his problems on her like that? She didn't need all of his emotional baggage, didn't need to know all of the dark thoughts that flickered in his brain. She probably thought he was some sort of messed up psycho now! These thoughts took over Harry's brain and caused him to bow his head in shame and embarrassment, not wanting to see when Maggie decided that he wasn't worth the trouble and left him alone.

He kept waiting, every moment expecting to hear the sound of his friend standing up and leaving, maybe offering him a pat on the back and an awkward "sorry" that would only make him feel worse. Harry braced himself for the worst, which is why he was caught completely off guard when a pair of arms suddenly snaked themselves around his torso.

* * *

Maggie listened in stunned silence as her friend spoke, hardly able to believe that all of this pain had been cooped up inside of him for _weeks_. He was in agony, it was easy to tell from the raw emotion in his voice as he spoke of his fallen godfather (murdered, he said) and the sharp inhales that he would take every so often so that he could continue talking without crying. Harry had loved his godfather, probably just as much as he loved his two best friends and Maggie's heart ached for him when she realized just how off kilter and empty Harry's world had become with his loss. She sat silent, and still, trying to process all of the information she was being given and when she finally realized that Harry had stopped talking she blinked away the tears in her own eyes that had risen unbidden at her friend's pain, and looked at Harry.

He looked much as he had that first day at the park. Head bowed, shoulders sagging, and arms clenched tightly around himself as if he was trying to keep himself from falling apart. It hurt her to watch one of the best friends she had ever had ( _after only just a week of knowing each other and holy crap had it really only been a week?)_ in such obvious pain and when she realized that Harry was waiting for her to do something, she couldn't help herself. Releasing a breathy sob, Maggie threw her arms around Harry in the biggest hug she could muster. She held on tightly, trying to show him without words that he didn't have to hold himself together because she would do it for him and that it was _okay_ to share his burdens with her. After initially tensing up, Harry seemed to eventually realize what was going on and, when his arms loosened from their place around his body and wrapped around hers just as tightly, Maggie realized that she wouldn't have - _couldn't_ have let go for anyone or anything. If she felt a few teardrops hit her t-shirt, she never mentioned it because maybe Harry wasn't ready for her to see him cry just yet, but she would damn well make sure that when he was, he knew that she was absolutely going to be there.

* * *

The next day was Saturday and, as Maggie's father had been working all week, he decided that he wanted to take his daughter to London to see some of the sights. This declaration had led to a lot of excited squealing on Maggie's part (she had damn near talked Harry's ear off when she told him) and many muffled swear words emitting from her room as she tried to figure out what to wear for her tourist day in London. Eventually deciding on a basic pair of jean capri's and a burgundy and grey v-neck t-shirt along with her grey keds, Maggie piled into the car next to her father and enjoyed the time she had to simply talk with her dad after a week of only seeing him at dinner time. The car ride was spent planning out the day's events and catching up on life in general. The Smiths, being a favorite of both father and daughter, provided a nice background hum while the English scenery flew by and Maggie, still not used to driving on the left, remarked on the oddness of it every few minutes causing her father to smile fondly at her and tell her that it wouldn't feel so odd after a while.

The day in London was spent at a leisurely pace, seeing the few sights that Maggie declared she absolutely had to (Big Ben, and the London eye being a few), stopping for lunch, and eventually dinner. Any places that they didn't get to were pushed off for another trip; they had the whole summer to come back after all. Many times over the day, Evan would stop a stranger and ask for a picture of him and his daughter together at random attractions and locations, the pair striking ridiculous poses and joking around like they always had and there were a great many times when Maggie was struck by just how much she had missed her father those first six months he had been in England. She was a daddy's girl, always had been, and going from seeing her father three or four times a week to not seeing him at all had taken a toll on her. These fleeting thoughts would always take her mind to Harry, alone at the Dursley's, his only father-figure cold and dead, and she would always feel simultaneously guilty and grateful for still having her dad with her.

* * *

Evan Graham looked at the sleeping form of his fifteen year old in the passenger seat and couldn't help the broad smile that stretched across his face. Leaving Maggie had been the most difficult part of his move and even though she was barely a week into her stay, he already knew that he would miss her even more when she left. The day had been perfect. The weather had been sunny but not swelteringly hot, there had been no disagreements about anything between father and daughter and Evan had gotten to see the joy and awe on his little girl's face every time she saw something that she had always dreamed of seeing. Inevitably, though, at every place they went Maggie would make some offhand remark about how much Harry would like something or other, or how much she wanted to show Harry everything that she saw. These comments are what led Evan to the current subject of his thoughts as he drove back home: one Harry Potter of Number 4 Privet Drive.

After his daughter's initial meeting with the boy almost a week ago, Evan had asked around about Mr. Potter and his initial findings had worried him somewhat. Apparently Mr. Potter was supposedly a delinquent, some uncontrollable miscreant who was forced unto the "Poor Dursley's" as an infant and had caused them nothing but grief. Digging a little had revealed the truth; no-one actually believed that the boy was as ill-behaved and rebellious as the Dursley's claimed, and it seemed to be an unspoken fact of the neighborhood that every word out of Vernon Dursley's mouth was complete and utter trash. Harry had never been spotted doing anything criminal or dangerous, and most people forgot that the boy existed half of the time. Evan of course didn't have that option, the boy was spending hours every day alone with his teen daughter and it was very difficult and worrisome for him to think about. It had been today that had settled his worries and doubts about Harry Potter. Every time Maggie had mentioned him she would smile this soft, small smile that he had never seen on her face before her becoming acquainted with Harry. Every night that week he had come home from work to a side of his daughter he had never seen before. Evan knew that Maggie had always had a hard time connecting to people, especially people her own age, and he was glad that she had found such a good friend, even if his "dad senses" warned him of the potential and likelihood that their relationship would progress deeper than that of friendship. He decided he wouldn't have to scare off the Potter boy. Yet.

* * *

Harry woke up late on Saturday morning feeling emptier, yet lighter than he had all week. His breakdown the day before had left him emotionally exhausted which resulted in him sleeping in later than he usually did. It didn't help his rather down mood that Maggie was going to London with her dad all day either, leaving Harry facing the prospect of twelve waking hours without talking with or laughing with her. Deciding that he might as well get some breakfast before resigning himself to his room for the rest of the day (the thought of going to the park without Maggie just wasn't appealing), Harry headed down the stairs praying that he didn't run into one of his "relatives". Luck was apparently on his side that day because all of the Dursley's seemed to still be asleep, leaving Harry the ability to get a real breakfast for once. Once his dishes were washed, dried, and placed back on their shelves, Harry walked back to his room and shut the door for what would probably be the last time that day.

He managed to waste two hours cleaning various things in his room and touching up homework before he ran out of things to distract himself and his thoughts turned back to Sirius. It didn't hurt as much today as it had in the previous weeks. Apparently baring your soul to someone was an extremely therapeutic healing technique as instead of fires of agony at the thought of his godfather, there was now a dull ache residing in the pit of Harry's stomach. Constant, yes. Painful, yes, but much more bearable for the teen. Harry thought about the previous afternoon, and though he had to cringe at how emotional he had been, he also had to smile at how Maggie had reacted. She had been a true friend, a brilliant listener and when she had _hugged_ him Harry had actually believed that, for once, everything might be okay. Grinning to himself at the thought of Maggie, Harry turned his head to see if there was any other way he could occupy his time and in doing so, caught sight of the new stack of letters on his desk that Hedwig must have brought him while he was sleeping. He quickly crossed the room and grabbed them before flopping back onto his bed to open them.

The first was from Mad-Eye of course, just the usual _you're not dead yet, are you Potter_ that Harry came to expect every other day or so. After scribbling out a quick response of _Nope, still not dead_ , Harry grabbed the next letter which came from Ron.

 _Hey Mate,_

 _How've you been so far? The muggles treating you all right? I'm sure that Dumbledore will have you out of that place in no time._ _Mum's driving me mad here, and Fred and George are busy with plans for their shop so it's dead boring without you here mate. I'll see you soon, yeah?_

 _Ron_

Harry smiled at his friends predictable letter, took comfort in the familiarity and quickly scribbled out a reply assuring his friend that he was fine and that the Dursley's weren't trying to kill him every other day or anything like that. He debated on whether or not to tell Ron about Maggie, but then decided that he didn't want Ron to get jealous or assume that Harry was trying to replace his friendship or anything of that nature, and opted to just keep Maggie to himself. He was sure that the Order had people watching him anyways, and they all probably knew about Maggie by now. He was actually surprised that it hadn't been mentioned in one of Mad-eye's letters. In his mind's eye, Harry could see how that particular letter would read. _Constant Vigilance Potter! She could be a spy! She could be a death eater disguised as a pretty girl and you wouldn't even know!_ Chortling to himself at the thought, Harry opened the last letter, which was from Hermione.

 _Hello Harry,_

 _How are you? Are you holding up okay? Are the Dursley's treating you decently? I've already finished my schoolwork, how about you? I've also read several fascinating books since the summer hols started, you wouldn't believe some of the fantastical applications that runes can have! Don't worry about having to stay too long at the Dursley's this year Harry, I've already heard rumors of you being able to leave before your birthday! Speaking of, what would you like this year, I have several ideas of course but it would be nice to know if there is something that you really want. I have to go now. Take care of yourself Harry, and remember, if you need to talk I'm only an owl away._

 _Love,_

 _Hermione_

Harry sighed at all of the questions about his well-being and the subtle, yet not really, implorations for him to talk to her about Sirius. He loved Hermione like a sister, she was one of his best friends and while he knew that her offers to listen were made with the best intentions, he also knew that, had he spilled his guts to Hermione the way that he had to Maggie the previous day, Hermione would not have been able to offer the same level of understanding and comfort that Maggie had. She would have tried to talk to him, to list off facts about the stages of grief or given him the names of books that he could read to "help" him. Maggie had just known what to do to make him feel better, had reacted in exactly the way that Harry had needed her too and he was extremely grateful to her for it. He still wasn't entirely sure why he and Maggie clicked so well, or how it was possible to grow so fond of someone in so short a time of knowing the other, but he was glad that they did, and absolutely glad to have Maggie Graham in his life.

* * *

After replying to Hermione as well and then sending Hedwig off with his mail, Harry decided to read some more of The Count of Monte Cristo. Since Maggie had given it to him he had been reading it every night when he had trouble sleeping. It was a slow process, seeing as Harry wasn't the best reader anyway, and the language was older and therefore harder to decipher, but Harry was enjoying it. The story was interesting, and the characters were relatable, plus it distracted him from his thoughts while at the same time reminding him of Maggie, and looking at the well worn cover never failed to bring a smile to his face. Getting comfortable, Harry cracked open the book and settled in for a long Saturday of reading, hoping that Maggie was enjoying her day in London.

* * *

With Sunday came a huge thunderstorm and torrential downpour that had Harry groaning out loud when he saw it. There went his plans of a leisurely day in the park with Maggie, he might as well not get up at all. Resigning himself to yet another day spent in his room avoiding the Dursley's, Harry lost himself in his depressing thoughts and almost didn't hear the doorbell ring downstairs. Although his Uncle's loud roar of "BOY!" had him making his way downstairs to see what the commotion was about. He got to the foot of the stairs and had to laugh.

Maggie stood in his front doorway, looking obviously uncomfortable under the scrutiny of the Dursley's and visibly relaxed when she saw him standing there. Before he could ask his friend why she was standing in his relative's home soaked to the bone and dripping water all over Aunt Petunia's carpet (he'd have to thank her for that later) Maggie grinned at him and held up what he determined to be some sort of boxed set of discs. "It's raining Potter, and that means it's time for you and I to start on your movie education."

* * *

 **A/N:** Yay or Nay? I know that Harry probably seemed slightly ooc with the whole baring his soul and hugging scene, but keep in mind that Maggie doesn't know that Harry is the Boy-Who-Lived. She has no expectations of him to be strong, or to save her and this is what I believe allows Harry to be a bit more vulnerable around her. Let me know if you think that the relationship is moving too fast (romance should start to sprout up more fairly soon) or too slow. Also suggestions for what movies Maggie should force Harry to watch would be awesome. Reviews and constructive criticism are always appreciated as well :)


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Chapter 4 is here! We have some movie fun and romance in this chapter! If it's a sentence in italics, then it's a thought.

 **Disclaimer:** If you recognize it, it isn't mine. I'm just utilizing some creative freedom :)

* * *

Chapter 4

Maggie blinked through groggy eyes as she woke up suddenly and unexpectedly. _What in the wor-_ CRACK! A loud clap of thunder answered her mental inquiry before it could even be fully formed and she allowed a smile to grow on her face as she realized what must have woke her. Stretching and yawning loudly, Maggie pulled on some socks and her bathrobe and headed downstairs, planning for a relaxing day of nothing. She figured that she would get some tea, retreat back to her room, and then curl up on her bed with a book or later she could tell Harry about her trip to London and- Maggie froze midway down the stairs. Harry. How could she have forgotten about Harry! He had been left with those damned Dursley's all day yesterday while she was in London and now, here she was, thinking of how awesome her day was going to be while Harry was probably dreading being stuck inside all day! Some great friend she was!

"Ummmmm sweetheart?" Maggie blinked to try and get out of her thoughts and turned to her father who was standing behind her, looking at her expectantly with a hint of worry in his eyes.

"Yes?"

"You're kind of blocking the stairs Mags." Realizing that her father was right and she had been standing in the middle of the stairs immobile for several minutes Maggie blushed and was quick to finish her descent, making a beeline for the kitchen with her father right behind her. They got their respective morning beverages, tea for her and coffee for him, and proceeded to finish waking up together in silence. Once each had enough caffeine in their system for actual conversation to take place, Evan decided to breach the subject troubling his mind.

"You okay sweetheart?" Maggie looked up, not sure why he would ask her that. "You don't usually spend five minutes standing in the middle of the stairs, Mags, especially not when it's thunderstorming."

"I'm fine, really, it's just that I'm worried about Harry. He was alone with his relatives yesterday, and we obviously can't go to the park in this weather so he is going to be stuck in that house again today and I'm just- I don't want him to be alone again, that's all." Maggie, having said all of this while staring into her mug, looked up at her father as she finished speaking. He was watching her with calculating blue eyes, his forehead creased like it always was when he was coming to a decision about something, though what he was thinking about so intently now, Maggie had no idea. Finally, after taking a final sip of his coffee, he spoke.

"You know, I think it's about time that Harry and I meet, and didn't you say something the other day about having some kind of movie marathon to 'educate his sheltered mind on the wonders of the big screen'" After staring at her father blankly for several seconds, Maggie finally began to comprehend what her father had just told her, had just given her permission to do.

"Oh thank you dad!" Leaping up from her seat with renewed vigor, and after planting a kiss on her father's cheek in thanks, Maggie proceeded up the stairs, mentally choosing what movies her and Harry should watch that day. Maybe they could watch some Bond? Nah, that was probably too much for his first real action film... "Lord of The Rings"? Nah….too much commitment for his first time…. Growing frustrated as a distinct lack of acceptable choices kept popping into her brain, Maggie grabbed her raincoat from her closet and trekked back downstairs, where her perusal of her father's movie collection began. "Star Wars"? No. "The Mummy"? No. "Jurassic Park"? N-wait. "Jurassic Park" could be good. Not too much intensity, no awkward love scenes, and only three moderately lengthed movies, plus who _didn't_ like Jurassic Park?…..yes! "Jurassic Park" it was. Grinning almost madly as she grabbed the boxed set, Maggie slid on her raincoat and out the door, thinking about how the idea for a movie marathon had come about in the first place.

* * *

 _Flashback to the previous wednesday:_

 _Maggie had been horrified when she had discovered that Harry's movie experiences were severely lacking. And by severely lacking she meant almost completely non-existent. They had been on the swings, and there was a lull in conversation so Maggie had decided to ask the fateful question._

 _"So what are your favorite movies?" and then proceeded to listen in mild horror as Harry explained that the only movies he had seen were whatever his Primary school teachers had decided to show in class when he was young, the Dursley's didn't let him watch TV._

" _But that means….you've only seen like, Disney movies and things like that, I mean not that there's anything wrong with Disney but...no Marvel? No Lord of The Rings? No Indiana Jones?" At the solemn shake of Harry's head to her questions Maggie shook her head in despair. "Well that just won't do! Sometime this summer Harry, you are coming over, and we are having a movie education day! We will watch movies and eat popcorn and I will show you the wonders of film!" His small smile and nod of agreement had Maggie smiling, and the conversation continued on._

 _End flashback:_

* * *

Now standing in front of Number 4's door Maggie gulped and tried to calm her nerves. She had never actually had the displeasure of meeting Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, or their son Dudley, and she had never wanted to. Feeling her anxiety start to kick in at meeting her notoriously unfriendly neighbors, Maggie took a deep breath in and pressed the doorbell, praying that Harry was the one who opened the door. Luck was not on her side as when the door opened, it was not Harry that answered the door, but instead a very large, squinty-eyed blonde boy who looked down at her in confusion, a piece of scrambled egg stuck to the side of his chin. He had obviously just been eating breakfast.

"Ummm…Hello, I'm Margaret, my dad is your new neighbor." Blonde boy-who she assumed was Dudley- merely grunted at her, making Maggie even more uncomfortable the longer she stood there. Just as she was about to ask to speak with Harry, a shrill voice along with two pairs of footsteps could be heard in the house, heading towards the door.

"Duddykins, who is at the door?" Accompanied the appearance of Mrs. Dursley at the door, her overly large husband squeezing in behind her to look Maggie over in distaste. Mrs. Dursley, seeing Maggie, frowned. "Who are you?"

"My name is Margaret, Ma'am. My dad is your new neighbor. I'm sorry to bother you, but is Harry here? I'd like to speak with him." All three Dursley's straightened and seemed to look at her with new distrust when she mentioned Harry, and Mr. Dursley glared down at her, his face beginning to turn an interesting shade of purple.

"What do you want with the boy?!" His booming voice caused her to flinch back slightly, and she had to gather her courage before speaking again.

"Harry is my friend, I was hoping to invite him over for the day so that we could watch some movies. My dad will be home too." Maggie wasn't quite sure why she felt the need to tack on that last bit, but she put thinking on it off as she watched Mr. Dursley appraise her once more. Finally, he seemed to come to some sort of decision, because he tilted his head back and yelled up the stairs.

"BOY!" Mrs. Dursley let Maggie step inside the door so the rain wouldn't get in the house and she stood, completely still, as the sounds of someone scrambling around upstairs drifted down to her ears. Finally, just as Maggie was getting truly uncomfortable at the looks she was getting from the residents of the house, Harry appeared on the stairs.

Harry took one look at Maggie and laughed, making her realize that she probably looked like a drowned cat right about then, but she shook it off and grinned at her friend. Holding up the day's entertainment she spoke, ignoring the Dursley's completely. "It's raining Potter, and that means it's time for you and I to start on your movie education." his answering grin told her all she needed to know about how on-board he was with the idea.

"Brilliant! Let me just put on some clothes, and I'll be right over!" Harry turned to go back up the stairs and Maggie, not wanting to be left alone with the Dursleys again, called out to him before he could.

"Harry! Movie day is pajama day….just put some shoes on and let's go!" He seemed hesitant, but then he glanced between her expression, which she was sure was pleading, and the Dursley's who were glaring between the pair, he nodded in understanding and acceptance.

"Right….on it." Stepping down by her, he slid on a pair of sneakers and exited, with Maggie following close behind, after stopping to tell the Dursley's good-bye.

The two teens sprinted the short distance to Maggie's house and entered her house, breathless, laughing, and soaked. "Thanks for the save Maggie, I thought I was going to be stuck in that house all day." Maggie smiled back at her friend as they removed their shoes.

"Awww, I wouldn't do that to you Harry, I'm not that cruel." After removing her jacket and placing it in the closet, Maggie gestured for Harry to follow her as she walked through the house. "The layout is pretty similar to the Dursley's from what I could tell, so you shouldn't have trouble finding anything. I have chosen "Jurassic Park" for today's entertainment, which is a lovely story filled with dinosaurs and awesomeness, but before we get to that you need to meet my dad."

* * *

"...you need to meet my dad."

Harry came to a halt as that last sentence processed with his brain. Maggie noticed and she turned to him, frowning. "What's wrong Harry, you look worried."

"I'm meeting your dad?!" His voice gave a little squeak at the end and Maggie blinked before grinning almost madly at him and letting out a small laugh.

"Don't worry Harry, he isn't going to bite or anything."

"No, I most certainly am not." An unfamiliar voice tinged with amusement came from behind them. Whirling around, Harry came face to face with who he assumed was Maggie's father. Mr. Graham looked to be in about his mid-forties and was in good shape. His hair was still the same brown as Maggie's, with only a few grey hairs peppered in the scruff on his chin. His eyes though, were a bright piercing blue and, like with Dumbledore, Harry felt as though they could somehow see right through him. He dressed a bit like Remus, wearing an old sweater and a simple pair of slacks, and Harry could definitely see him being the type to wear tweed. His face was kind, and only a few lines marked his age. There were crinkles around his eyes that Harry realized had come from smiling. Realizing that he had been almost awkwardly silent while he took Mr. Graham in, Harry was quick to clear his throat and introduce himself.

"Hello Mr. Graham, I'm Harry Potter" He held his hand out to shake, and grasped it firmly when Mr. Graham reciprocated, shaking once before letting go. Mr. Graham looked at him with appraising eyes before answering.

"It's nice to finally meet you Harry, have fun today kids." With a kiss dropped to the top of his daughter's head, he was gone and Harry was left bewildered by what had just happened. Turning questionably to Maggie, who was watching him with a smile on her face, he gave her a confused look. She just giggled, shrugged her shoulders, and walked away, presumably toward the living room. Harry followed behind, growing more excited at the prospect of watching movies and spending a day with his friend.

* * *

Seven hours later found Harry sitting in awe as the end credits for Jurassic Park III rolled. He hadn't known what to expect when Maggie sat him down and told him that they were watching a movie about dinosaurs, but the incredibly realistic, vaguely terrifying at some places, series that they had just watched left him speechless. Several bowls of popcorn had been consumed during their marathon and the empty bowl, along with several cans of soda, were scattered on the table in front of the couch where the pajama-clad teens sat. Maggie was silent, as she had been for most of the movie, only offering explanations when Harry didn't understand something but otherwise letting him take it in. Finally, after sitting for several moments with his mouth hanging open like an idiot, Harry spoke.

"Wow." That seemed to be the only encouragement that Maggie needed because she suddenly began to launch a barrage of questions at Harry in earnest, wanting to know exactly what he thought and if she made a good choice in the selection and which one was his favorite, etc. They spent the next hour talking on the couch, debating the best parts of each movie, and which character was the best until Mr. Graham came into the living room and told them that dinner was there. They had pizza (another first for Harry, and he couldn't believe what he had been missing) and Harry gradually began to relax around Mr. Graham.

Ten o'clock rolled around and Harry decided that it was probably time to get back to the Dursley's, so he reluctantly began to put on his shoes while Maggie watched. Without bothering to tie the laces of his sneakers, Harry stood up and faced Maggie in silence before suddenly, and impulsively, stepping forward to pull her into a hug. She seemed surprised but readily accepted and returned it and gave him a big squeeze before he let go and stepped back. Not knowing quite what to do after that Harry rubbed the back of his head awkwardly and tried to say goodbye. "Thanks for the uh movies and for the pizza-it was uh-it was really good." _Nice._ _Real freaking eloquent Harry._

Maggie just smiled brightly at him and pushed him out the door. "It's no problem Harry, we definitely have to do it again. I'll see you tomorrow?" Harry nodded in the affirmative and, after exchanging one last goodnight, crossed the lawn back into the Dursley's, feeling happy and content after a day with someone who he was quickly coming to regard as one of his closest friends.

* * *

After that first time it became tradition for days of less than ideal outside weather to become movie marathon days. Or music days, where the pair spent the day hanging out in Maggie's room listening to all of the music that Harry had never gotten to listen to before (somehow, it didn't surprise Maggie that Harry liked rap and classic rock). Nice days were still spent in their park, but subtle changes began to appear without the two realizing it. Physical touch became more commonplace between the two. Whether it was feet in the lap while the two were sitting on the couch together, or the hugs goodbye that soon became everyday occurrences (Maggie's father had given her a raised eyebrow on one occasion but she chose to ignore it). Maggie and Harry continued to become closer, both separately fighting the odd feelings that began to surface when in the other's company.

Maggie ignored the way that her stomach fluttered every time Harry smiled at her, and the way his emerald eyes lit up when he was particularly excited about something because _no she was not crushing on her friend_ ….even though he was very cute, and _very_ fit and _okay Maggie stop!_

Harry ignored the fact that he was beginning to mentally reference everything that Maggie did as adorable (even though the way she scrunched her nose when she laughed was unfairly cute) and resolutely ignored the urge to put his arm around her shoulder during movie nights (even if he was sure she would fit perfectly there). _She was his friend damnit! He absolutely did not fancy her!_ (Even if he really kind of did).

* * *

It was one of those perfect June days, about three weeks after their first meeting, and Harry and Maggie were parked under their tree. The two teens were laying side by side in the shade, and each had an earbud in one ear as they listened to whatever music happened to start playing on Maggie's Ipod. They were close, the backs of their hand mere inches from each other, eyes closed, breathing in the absolutely perfect day, content in the other's company. Then it happened.

One or both of the teens shifted and their hands brushed together, causing a shock to run through the pair. Both stilled, before one or both suddenly reached out and grasped the other's hand, causing a new and foreign feeling of happiness to spread through the pair.

* * *

Harry breathed a deep sigh of relief as Maggie accepted his hand in hers. It had been a risk, reaching out, but it had been one that he had to take. He liked Maggie, he had finally accepted it, and even though all of his previous relationship experience was not ideal, he knew that with Maggie it would be different. Being with Maggie would be easy, he knew, and he wouldn't have to worry too much about saying or doing the wrong thing like he had with Cho. The last few weeks with her as his friend had been some of the best of his life. He was not Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived to Maggie, he was not some freak, or someone she expected to save her. To her he was just Harry. And that is exactly what he had always needed in his life. Taking a deep breath, Harry turned his head so he could look at the person who had changed his life in only a short few weeks.

She was looking at him already, with awe in her big brown eyes and he was sure that he had never seen anyone so beautiful. What did Cho have, really, on Maggie? Maggie was beautiful and kind and funny and she made him feel human, made him feel _safe_ and he didn't know if he could let that feeling go. Summoning up all of his Gryffindor courage, Harry leaned towards her. "Mags…" he breathed out, and then he kissed her.

* * *

Maggie was sure that her brain was short-circuiting. Harry had held her hand. _Harry had held her hand!_ And it was perfect. Warm, and calloused and so secure around her own. Then he had looked at her. Looked at her with a tender look in her eyes and she had felt so important, so safe. Then the way he had said her _name_. "Mags…." said so tenderly and like she was one of the most precious things in his world in that moment. Then. Then he kissed her. He kissed her and it was perfect. It was slightly awkward because of the angle and because neither of them had really done this before and maybe there weren't fireworks like the romance novels always say, but it was _Harry_ and he was _kissing_ her and "Skinny Love" was still playing in their ears and Maggie wanted to cry because it was everything she had ever hoped her first kiss would be.

* * *

 **A/N:** Sooooo…..what did you think? Good? Bad? Is the romance believeable? Did you like my movie choice? Review and let me know! :)

 **A/N 2:** I didn't see the Dursleys as the type to let Harry watch ANYTHING...and lets be honest...the first time seeing Jurassic Park is always a great experience!


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Two chapters in two days? It must be the start of the weekend :) Anywho here is chapter 5, a bit shorter than average (sorry). I hope you enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** If you recognize it, then it isn't mine :)

* * *

Chapter 5

Maggie sat cross-legged with her back against hers and Harry's tree. Harry's head was pillowed in her lap and she absent-mindedly carded her fingers through his hair with one hand while her other kept her worn copy of Pride and Prejudice open and in front of her face. She'd found that she could appreciate romances more since Harry had kissed her. She couldn't _fathom_ why. Maggie glanced down at her lap. On second thought, she totally could.

Deciding that she had had enough of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy for the day Maggie closed her book with a snap, placed it on the ground and intertwined her now free hand with Harry's own on top of his chest. Harry's eyes were closed, Maggie's earbuds in his ears, hands (one of which now clutched hers) resting loosely on his chest while they enjoyed the day. It had been a week since Harry had kissed her and Maggie was 96.2% sure that she was 100% correct in thinking that she couldn't have asked for a better first relationship experience. There had been a sort of limbo day, of course, where the main question had been up in the air. _So uh...does this mean that we are uhh dating now or…?_ Though that had been resolved fairly quickly when Maggie accidentally gave him a kiss in greeting instead of a hug and they had mutually decided that it was definitely something that needed to continue.

There had been several awkward moments, but they had all been smoothed over quickly and were now fond memories. Thinking back on the last week, Maggie had to grin. Especially when the memory of their first post-kiss movie night flitted through her brain.

 _It was the day after the kiss, and it was raining so Harry was going to spend the day at Maggie's. "Lord of the Rings" was on the agenda for the day and Maggie was beyond excited. She was sure that Harry would love them, and couldn't wait to see his face when he saw some of the scenery in the films. Harry entered the house, and the pair put together the snacks for the day, along with grabbing several sodas. As they went to go sit on the couch, however, both froze. How were they going to go about this? Should they hold hands? Full-blown cuddle? How did one cuddle? After eventually maneuvering to just sit side by side with their hands clasped, backs straight and facing towards the screen, "The Fellowship of the Ring" started off in near painful awkwardness for the two teens._

 _About halfway through, Maggie had got up to use the restroom and when she went to sit back down next to Harry, her foot caught on the leg of the table in front of the couch, causing her to land in a sprawl on top of him. Harry's arm, having landed around her in an attempt to steady her fall, remained where it was for the remainder of the movie, both teens much more comfortable with the new seating arrangements._

And then there was the day they told her dad….Maggie couldn't help herself and giggled, causing Harry's eyes to fly open and his free hand to remove his earbuds.

"What's got you laughing?" His question, accompanied by a raised brow, just made Maggie smile and shake her head lightly as she looked down at him.

"Nothing in particular" The eyebrow raised even higher as Harry sat up and turned to face her.

"Oh no you don't Mags. That was not your 'I just thought a thought that amused me' laugh. That was your 'I just thought back on a funny memory' laugh. So tell me…..what's got you laughing?" His question was punctuated with small poke to her side, and Maggie huffed out another laugh before replying.

"Just thinking about when we had to tell my dad about us" the horrified expression on Harry's face let Maggie know that Harry didn't find the memory nearly as funny as she did. But maybe that was because she wasn't the one facing down a protective Evan Graham.

 _"You're what?"_

 _"We're together now Mr. Graham, Maggie and I."_

 _"I see."_

 _"Well, ummm…. I just wanted to let you know that I really care about your daughter and I'll be good to her."_

 _"Damn straight you will be."_

 _"Sir?"_

 _"If you hurt my daughter, Mr. Potter, I will hunt you down, Scottish boarding school or no Scottish boarding school, I will find you, and I will kill you. Understood?"_

 _"Y-yes Sir."_

 _*angry parental grunt*_

"That was not funny," Harry sulked, his voice had grown moody and his arms were folded across his chest. Playfully, Maggie leaned over and pecked his cheek once before leaning back and raising an eyebrow.

"Better?" Harry just smiled.

* * *

"Better?" Maggie's tone was playful and his cheek was still warm from where her lips had touched. Harry had to smile. Truthfully, telling her dad hadn't been the worst thing in the world (although he hadn't known mild-mannered Mr. Graham could be so intimidating) but Maggie took too much joy out of teasing him about it for him to not react. Shifting himself so that he was once again laying with his head on Maggie's lap, Harry sighed in contentment as her fingers resumed their path through his hair once more.

For the past week, every moment spent with Maggie had been a kind of bliss for Harry. He had been nervous, especially that first day, because his experience with girls and relationships prior to meeting Maggie had been limited to Cho, and she really wasn't the best role model . With Cho there had been a lot of crying, and stilted conversation, and one kiss that was snotty and messy and one of the most awkward moments of Harry's life. Maggie had even less experience than Harry, but it was still easy to be with her. The conversation only stopped when both mutually decided that they wanted to sit in silence for a while, kind of like they were now. Harry had yet to see Maggie really cry (laughing in tears didn't count) and kissing Maggie had quickly become one of Harry's favorite activities.

The only real downside to Harry's week had been the letters that had shown up two days after him and Maggie got together. There were three of them, from Mad-eye, Ron and Hermione. Mad-eye's had finally been the warning that Harry had been expecting since he met Maggie, warning him away from fraternizing with a muggle, reminding him that she was a liability, etc. Harry had curtly, but as politely as possible, told him to please butt out of Harry's personal business.

Ron's letter had been full of confusion and detectable hints of jealousy. He wanted to know why Harry hadn't told him about Maggie. If Harry was sure that having a girlfriend was really a good idea ( _I mean, just look how Cho turned out mate.),_ and finally if Maggie was "a hot bird". Harry's reply had been cold and short, not wanting to discuss how "hot" Maggie was with Ron.

Hermione's letter had just been honestly curious, if not a little hurt. She wanted to know why Harry hadn't told her about Maggie, but more than that, she wanted to know about Maggie herself. Harry replied to her with a long letter filled with details about Maggie. He was sure that his bookworm best-friend would approve of her when she heard about how much Maggie liked to read.

It's not like he didn't take Mad-Eye's warnings to heart, because he absolutely did. He knew that there were risks to getting involved with Maggie, but he was safe at Privet Drive, and the only people who knew about Maggie were him, his best friends, and members of the Order. So for once in his life, instead of denying himself the happiness that Maggie brought him, Harry had decided to be a little selfish. Either way, they only had the summer together (a topic that he and Maggie had both agreed to put off discussing until a later date) and Harry wasn't going to waste it dwelling too hard on all the reasons that it was wrong, when it felt so close to perfectly right.

He knew that Sirius, at least, would be proud of him. If for nothing else then for managing to snag someone as incredible as Maggie. Sirius would've loved her. She was intelligent, and fun loving, and kind. She wasn't super brash, or incredibly outgoing, but somehow Harry had the suspicion that Maggie's lack of those traits would've served only to endear Maggie to him, instead of driving her away. Thinking about Sirius put a pained sort of smile (more of a grimace really) on his face which Maggie must of noticed because suddenly her hand left his hair and rested on his forehead, her finger beginning to trace his scar repeatedly, an action which oddly calmed his thoughts and comforted him immensely. Opening his eyes, Harry looked up into her brown ones, which were already looking down at him, both worriedly and fondly.

* * *

Maggie had watched the emotions play out on Harry's face in silence, taking in every shift in expression. First there was annoyance, then fondness, then finally concern and amusement with undertones of sadness. When his mouth pinched up into a pained grimace, his body tensed and his brow furrowed, Maggie decided that she had had enough and began lightly tracing his scar with her pointer finger. It seemed to calm him down, and his body relaxed into her touch. Eyes not moving from his face, Maggie watched as Harry's unbelievably green eyes opened and met hers.

"Okay there love?" The endearment slipped out without Maggie's permission, it was the first time she had called Harry anything other than his name and she cringed inwardly. But instead of allowing the moment to grow awkward Harry just smiled softly up at her and grabbed the hand not tracing his scar before, in an uncharacteristically tender and sweet gesture, placing a kiss to her palm and keeping her hand clasped to his chest.

"Better now Mags." His smile was soft, but the shadows pain in his eyes refused to fade so Maggie decided to do the uncharacteristic thing for herself as well and push a little bit.

"What was running through your head just now?" Harry looked intently at her, before sighing softly and closing his eyes tightly.

"Sirius really would have liked you." It was said quietly, just barely loud enough for Maggie to hear, but the wistful tone made her heart ache. Squeezing his hand in an attempt to be comforting, and moving her other hand back to Harry's hair, Maggie tried to figure out what to say. She didn't have much experience with comforting the grieving and, besides a grandfather, Maggie had been fortunate enough to avoid loss in her life.

"Tell me more about him?" She made sure to phrase it as a question, and kept her voice soft. Somehow speaking too loudly didn't seem the best choice for the moment. Harry kept his eyes shut in memory and, eventually, began to speak.

This time was different than the first time he had told her about his godfather. Last time the grief had been too raw, the pain too fresh, and the memories he shared with her had been tinged with bitterness. This time the shadows in his eyes weren't so dark, and he spoke of his godfather, Sirius Black, with fondness and love as he told her about his escapades. Little things that he hadn't told her before seemed to pour out of him and with every word Maggie watched as the burden Harry always appeared to be carrying lightened. He talked until the sun started to set about whatever came to mind and when he eventually started to nod off, emotionally drained by the day's events, Maggie dropped a kiss to his forehead and spoke softly.

"You know what Harry, I think I would've really liked him too."

* * *

Later that night, when Harry was at the Dursley's and Maggie was back home, she sat with her head in her hands, a cup of untouched tea on her bedside table, pondering the day's events, and everything else about Harry. She wanted to help him, _god_ did she want to help him. Every time his eyes clouded with pain she just wanted to take it away from him, and every time his eyebrows creased she just wanted to smooth it out with her hand. She didn't want to fix Harry, he wasn't some broken toy that needed a new part. But she desperately wanted him to be okay. Maggie didn't mind being Harry's sounding board, and she considered it her privilege to be entrusted with his pain, and with every emotion he chose to lay bare to her.

Today had felt oddly significant, like they had reached some sort of marker in their relationship. There was a definite difference, Maggie surmised, between sharing such raw emotions with a significant other, as opposed to just a close friend. There was a new sense of emotional intimacy present between the two, and it made Maggie almost hyper-aware of Harry's pain. Just thinking about his beautiful eyes, and the way they had glossed over with unshed tears made Maggie cringe and need to hold back some tears herself.

Harry was special, she knew. The easy friendship and companionship that they shared was rare, and precious and Maggie didn't want to give it up for anything. The knowledge that at the end of the summer she would be leaving had made her hesitant, at first, to take this new step with Harry. But now, even just a week later, she knew it was worth it. Knowing Harry for even a few months, and being with him for even less than that, when she knows it will have to end may seem like a stupid thing to do, but Maggie was only human, and she was only fifteen.

She didn't want to think about the future and about how heartbroken she was going to be when she returned home to the States, and she didn't want to think about all of the sad songs that were going to get her through the next few months. She wanted to think about butterflies in her stomach, and warm emerald eyes looking at her like she's beautiful, and slightly chapped lips pressed against her own. She wanted to think about how happy she was in each moment, and not how sad she was inevitably going to be in the future.

* * *

 _At the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix: (AKA: The Burrow)_

"I'm just saying, I don't think it's good for Harry to go getting emotionally attached to some girl, especially a muggle!" Mad-Eye Moody's gruff voice echoed throughout the Burrow's kitchen and the Order members present winced at the loudness.

"No-one is disagreeing with you Mad-Eye, but we can't very well just separate them now can we! The girl checks out as being perfectly, 100% normal." Mrs. Weasley's shrill voice yelled right back at the gruff auror, frustrated at having the same conversation every time Mad-Eye reported in after his Harry watching sessions.

"Now really Molly, is it so bad that Harry is with this girl? Every time I'm on watch they seem to be exceedingly happy in the other's company. Harry's doing much better now that that girl is in his life, there is color in his cheeks and light in his eyes and he actually _smiles_ Molly. Full-blown, ear to ear smiles. When was the last time you saw Harry do that?" Remus's argument seemed to stump Mrs. Weasley for a second because it took her a little bit to reply.

"I just don't think that romantic entanglements are the best way to cope! What happens when he has to leave for the summer, and this girl who has been helping him is suddenly no longer in his life! No, we have to get him out of there as soon as possible, so we can limit his dependency on this girl." Remus just glared slightly at the red faced Mrs. Weasley. He had been on watch every other day since the summer started and he knew exactly how much this "Maggies" presence had helped Harry and he was going to be damned if Harry was taken away from that happiness too soon. Turning his head, he addressed the head of the table.

"Albus?" Said headmaster gazed at all of the people seated around him at the table, his blue eyes looking down on them through half-moon spectacles.

"I have already decided when Harry will be brought to the Burrow." This statement caused all eyes to swivel to Dumbledore, everyone wanting to know what exactly he had planned.

* * *

Harry cursed as he read the letter through again, clenching it tightly in his fists. Headmaster Dumbledore had apparently decided when he was going to be leaving for the Burrow. Without consulting him at first of course, because why should his opinion matter? _Bitter thoughts aren't going to help a damn thing Harry! You have to concentrate on the real issue!_ Real issue. Right. Like how he suddenly had two less weeks with Maggie then he thought he would. He almost always stayed at the Dursley's up until the last two weeks of summer, so why on earth was he leaving a full month before school started? Any other year this would have been great news, but not this summer, not if it meant that he would have to leave Mags. Harry glanced at the clock and cursed again, he was late for meeting up with Maggie at the park. After stuffing the letter in his pocket and trying to figure out how he was going to explain the situation to Maggie, Harry tore out of the house, still seething, and feeling an unfamiliar weight settle unto his chest.

 _Dear Harry,_

 _You will be leaving your relative's house on the morning of July 31, so that you can spend some time with your friends on your birthday. Please be packed and ready to leave at exactly 8:00 am sharp. I will be escorting you personally._

 _-Albus Dumbledore_

* * *

 **A/N:** So there it is….chapter 5. Love it? Hate it? I'm very grateful to everyone who reviewed and for all of the positive feedback I've gotten from several people however I have some news some of you may find disheartening.

I never intended for this story to grow to be super complex, or very long. It was always meant to be a sweet, and simple, summer romance for Harry, and I'm going to stick to that. This means that the ending will most likely be bittersweet for a lot of you, and that it will be coming in just a few chapters. At most this story will have 8-9 chapters at its completion. This story was always supposed to be a sort of tester for me….just me dipping my toes into the metaphorical fanfiction waters. I'm thrilled with the positive response I've gotten so far, and I don't plan on stopping writing, but I did want to warn those of you that seem to want this to be super long and complex...it's just not something that I'm willing to commit to for this story. Thank you for reading. Constructive criticism is of course welcome, as are any reviews :)


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Chapter 6 is here!

In case anyone gets confused on the timing and dates, I took some liberty for the purposes of this story. I know that Hogwarts is usually shown as ending the school year in mid to late June but in my story Harry and co. left Hogwarts on May 31. Harry and Maggie kissed three weeks into June. The last chapter ended with Harry receiving his letter from Dumbledore. That took place about two weeks after the rest of the chapter, so Maggie and Harry have been together for three weeks.

 **Disclaimer:** If you recognize it, it isn't mine. I'm just taking some creative liberties :)

* * *

Chapter 6

Maggie swung aimlessly on the rusty swing she always sat on when meeting up with Harry, staring at nothing. With a soft sigh she glanced down at her watch, just to double check. It was nearing ten o'clock, Harry was late. And in the month and a half they'd known each other Harry had _never_ beenlate. Usually it was her, stumbling into the park waiting for her daily dose of caffeine to kick in only to find Harry patiently waiting for her to arrive. It just wasn't like him. _Maybe I should check on-OH! There he is!_ Breathing a sigh of relief when she saw her boyfriend walking towards her Maggie quickly rose from her swing to meet him only to pause at the stormy expression twisting Harry's features.

Harry looked furious, his eyebrows were drawn low over his face, an angry furrow marring his brow, and his jaw was obviously clenched. His strides were short, and sharp and he looked madder than Maggie had ever seen him. It was only when he plopped down onto his usual swing with an angry huff that she deemed it okay to sit back down on her own. There was a tension in the air, thick and angry, and the silence seemed to only aggravate it. Deciding that she had had enough after a minute or two Maggie reached out to stroke Harry's knuckles where they were clenched (white because he was holding them so tight) on the chains before asking the obvious question.

"What's going on Harry? You're madder than I've ever seen you." Her inquiry was met with silence for several moments, and she almost thought that Harry wasn't going to answer before slowly, almost reluctantly it seemed, he pried one of his hands from the rusted chains and pulled out a crumpled piece of rather thick paper. He held it tightly in his fists, and Maggie surmised that this was the object of his rage, before handing it over for her to look at. It was a letter, and Maggie read the short missive quickly, heart sinking in her chest as she did so. _Two weeks. We only have two more weeks._

Not even being able to speak, Maggie re-read the letter again and again, just to make sure that this was real and not some awful dream, and before she could even attempt to stop them tears were leaving her eyes and a soft sob had torn itself unbidden from her chest. She didn't want this to end, damnit! They had barely just started!

* * *

Harry watched as Maggie read the letter from Dumbledore, thankful that the contents were magic-free because he really didn't think he could've brought himself to actually speak the words that he was leaving a full two weeks ahead of schedule. Two weeks may have seemed small in the grand scheme of things but for two teenagers experiencing their first taste of potential love? It was a lifetime, enough time for a thousand more good memories than they would have with this new deadline. A soft sob broke Harry from his inner monologue and he looked to Maggie in horror as he realized that she was crying. As quickly as he was able he moved from his swing to kneel in front of hers, tipping Maggie's chin up with one hand so he could wipe the tears away with the other.

"Hey now, don't cry Mags, I know it's sooner than we were expecting but it will be okay. We'll be just fine love." His words were soft and he made sure to keep his touches gentle. With a soft smile at Mags, who seemed to be calming down somewhat Harry stood, wiped the dust from his jeans, and offered a hand to his girlfriend which she immediately took. Once she was standing he wrapped his arms around her much smaller form, relishing in the feel of her answering embrace. "There now, that's better, yeah?" A small nod against his chest had him smiling softly, and Mag's answer made him chuckle.

"Sorry, I'm being such a girl right now aren't I?" The question was obviously rhetorical but Harry chose to shoot a teasing reply back anyways, in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"Nah….well….maybe just a little bit." This had Maggie pulling back and punching him lightly in the chest in retaliation as she released a soft giggle and Harry breathed a sigh of relief at the sound. Taking her hand and leading over to their tree he sat, back against the trunk, with Maggie in between his legs with her back flush to his chest. His arms came to settle comfortably around her waist and in response her head lolled back onto his shoulder. They sat in silence for a good ten minutes before Harry decided that the elephant in the room really needed to be addressed.

"I'm really sorry Mags, I almost never leave this early in the summer, I thought for sure we would have till midway through August and I…."

"Harry." Maggie's calm alto voice stopped him in his tracks and he ceased talking at once and waited for her to continue. "It's obviously not your fault Harry, this Dumbledore person is making you go, and even though I'm incredibly confused A) as to how your headmaster has any say in your life outside of school and B) why anyone would name their child _Albus_ in the first place, I know by now that you won't answer questions about your school, or the other people in your life, beyond the general ones. I accept this because I trust you and because you are entitled to your secrets. I just...I really don't want to say goodbye to you, Harry. Not for a long time, at least. You are the best friend I've ever had, and you make me the happiest I've ever been, and I'm just not ready to give that up. But if two more weeks is all we are going to get, then I don't want to spend them thinking about you leaving and thinking about possibly never seeing you again. I want to spend them making as many memories with you as I can, spending the maximum amount of time possible in your arms, and enjoying every possible moment with you that I am able. When I look back on this summer all I want to think about is how happy and beautiful you made me feel, and how worth it it was to spend my time, no matter how short it was, with you. I don't want regrets, I don't want bitterness, I just want you, for however long I can have you."

* * *

Maggie breathed deeply after her little speech, not quite believing that she had just laid all of her feelings bare like that. She had never been that blunt, never been that emotional, and if the silence behind her was anything to go on, then Harry was just as shocked about the whole thing as she was. For about thirty seconds stunned silence was the only response she received, until she felt a light kiss, barely a press of the lips against flesh, against the side of her neck. Harry's arms tightened around her waist and his forehead came down to rest on the juncture where her neck met her shoulder. He stayed like that for another minute before he responded.

"Mags… you know I'm not good at properly expressing my emotions, or talking about feelings but I am going to try my best here okay?" Maggie opened her mouth to tell him that he didn't have to, but Harry must have anticipated her words because he shushed her gently before continuing. "I wish I could tell you everything about me Maggie. About my school, my friends, just...everything. But I can't, I _can't_ and it's so bloody frustrating, not being able to. I wish there was a way for us to communicate when I leave but there isn't. There isn't and I can't tell you why and you have been so perfectly understanding of that. Of everything actually. Without you I would not be anywhere near as okay as I am right now, you know that right? You have helped me deal with Sirius's death, and with so many of my other demons and I will never forget that. I will never forget you, Maggie Graham. Even if we never see each other again after these next two weeks are up, I want to be able to look back and know that I made the most of the time I had with you that I could. Alright?"

Aside from his talks about Sirius, that was probably the most emotional thing that Maggie had ever heard Harry say. She could hear the frustration that he held at not being able to tell her everything about himself, could feel the way he tensed in anger against her back, but most of all she could tell that he was being 100% genuine in wanting to spend as much time as possible with her, and she wholeheartedly agreed with the sentiment. Smiling and with her eyes glossing over slightly with tears at how impassioned Harry had spoken of his desire to be with her Maggie turned her head and kissed him soundly on the lips in a response to his question. Harry smiled against her lips and she knew that he'd gotten the message. It was absolutely alright with her.

* * *

Remus Lupin watched, disillusioned, from afar as Harry and Maggie talked over the news of Harry's early departure. He watched as Maggie clutched the letter from Dumbledore, how she cried and how Harry immediately wanted to stop her tears. Silently he witnessed the two teens settle against their tree in a position he had seen them adopt several times over the past few weeks. He tried to block his werewolf hearing from listening in on the conversation happening between the two, but their passionate speeches to the other couldn't helped but be picked up by his ears. Watching the gentle and comfortable intimacy that Maggie and Harry shared, and the way the two smiled against the others lips had Remus feeling like he was intruding so he turned his head away, keeping watch for danger and thinking to himself that Dumbledore was a fool for separating the two so soon.

* * *

They had their first fight four days after the letter came. It was inevitable, really. No matter what they claimed both teens were always keenly aware of their limited time with the other and it created an underlying tension that never seemed to fully go away. The fight wasn't a big one, just an exchange of words said in a sharper tone than they ever had been directed at the other. After both Maggie and Harry had stormed away to their respective houses and both teens had had the night to cool off, both hardly remembered what the fight had been about in the first place. They immediately hugged it out and said their apologies upon their next meeting. Both knew that they didn't have the time to waste on insignificant squabbles.

After that fight the days seemed to slip by faster and faster for Harry and Maggie. They would wake up earlier and earlier and stay out later and later in an effort to spend as much time as possible together, but despite their best efforts the day that Harry was due to leave continued to approach at what seemed to be an increasing rate. Never had Harry dreaded his birthday so much. Before either teen could really comprehend that their time together truly was winding down to a close It was the night of July 30th, the night before Harry's departure from the Dursley's.

* * *

Maggie lay awake, restless, unable to fall asleep for the life of her. It had been hers and Harry's last real day together and she had struggled the whole day not to just burst into tears. Now that she was alone in the quiet of her room, her favorite stuffed dog clutched tightly to her chest, she could no longer hold it in and started to sob. They hadn't said a proper goodbye as Harry had promised to come see her in the morning and Maggie wasn't sure if it had made their last day together better or worse. On the one hand, the day ended like any other day together which almost gave them the illusion that it wasn't Harry's last day, but on the other hand- _tap._ Maggie paused in her thoughts as she searched her surroundings for the source of the random sound. Just as she was about to give it up as her imagination and get back to her thoughts she heard the sound again.

 _tap!_ This time she was able to tell that the sound came from above her head and she quickly perched herself on her bed as she looked out of the window above her bed. Looking down Maggie was barely able to see a mop of messy hair and a shadowed shape in the side yard below her. It was Harry, and he was honest to god throwing rocks. at. her. window. Inwardly squealing (because c'mon what little girl didn't have that fantasy?) she hurriedly opened her window and called down to the figure in her yard.

"Harry? What are you doing?"

"No time to explain, just get dressed and come with me. Meet me at our tree in fifteen minutes yeah?" Maggie glanced at her clock. _12:03._ and the neatly wrapped box on her bedside tablebefore calling back down.

"Alright, see youin fifteen." She shut her window and as silently as she could got dressed. After tucking the wrapped package, her phone, and her Ipod into her black backpack she silently left the house and made her way to the park, feeling a thrill of excitement work it's way up her spine as she wondered what Harry had planned. She soon found out.

Maggie arrived at their tree and gasped softly in delight. Harry had set up a blanket under the tree and there appeared to be a basket of food along with a lantern that illuminated everything, including Harry. Harry stood a little apart from the set-up, pacing like he was nervous and running his hands through his hair making it even more of a mess than it usually was. It was adorable and it caused Maggie to let out a small laugh which snapped Harry's attention to her. Maggie opened her mouth to speak.

"Harry what-" and was cut off by Harry closing the distance between them and pulling her in for a deep kiss. It was passionate, more so than any other kiss the two had shared and it stole the breath right from Maggie's lungs. When he released her Harry kept his forehead leaning against hers, looking her in the eyes as he spoke.

"Sorry about that Mags, I just feel the need to do that as much as possible." An almost cheeky grin slid onto Harry's lips as he said it and Maggie huffed out a breathless laugh in response.

"God Harry, don't be sorry for _that_ , that was amazing. My real question is, what is all of this?" She gestured in the general direction of the impromptu midnight picnic setup and waited for him to respond. Harry grinned again, but this time it looked nervous and one of his hands reached up to rub the back of his neck in an almost sheepish manner.

"I just thought that we ought to have a proper goodbye, you know. Not one that's rushed at eight in the morning because my headmaster has come to collect me. One that we could really remember. And, well, I wanted to surprise you. Do you... uh…. like it?" _Good lord this boy is adorable._ Pressing her lips to his one more time Maggie grinned.

"Harry, _I love it_." The smile that dawned on his face was the brightest and happiest that she had ever seen, and Maggie's heart ached when she realized that because it was their last night together she would probably never see it again. Harry grabbed her hand and near dragged her over to the blanket plopping down with an ungraceful thud and pulling her down to settle against him.

"So, Mags, let's see what is on the menu for tonight shall we?" He opened the picnic basket and began rummaging around, fishing out plates and napkins and all the other utensils they would need before finally pulling out their "meal". "Ah yes, let's see. For our main course we have tacos, done in the style of the house of Potter, along with a side dish of watermelon and for dessert we have a delightful chocolate cookie sandwich with a cream center." Maggie gaped at the spread as Harry laid it out in front of her.

"Tacos…..for-"

"The first day that we officially met, yes." As he said it a small blush rose to Harry's cheeks and Maggie pressed a gentle kiss to each one in thanks.

"Harry Potter, closet sappy romantic….who knew." Her tone was teasing, and he took it as such as he stuck her tongue out at her playfully and they both began to eat. After they were finished with everything, they lay on the blanket together side by side. Harry's arm was around Maggie's shoulders and her arm was flung across his waist. The silence was comfortable, and the physical comfort from having Harry so close kept Maggie from starting to cry again as she realized that this was it. _Tomorrow I'm going to wake up and he is going to be gone. This wonderful fifteen year old- well it's past midnight so he's sixteen now isn't he and-wait!_ With an excited squeal Maggie sat up and turned to face Harry eagerly. He too sat up and eyed Maggie warily. She was sure she looked insane but she really didn't care at the moment.

"I almost forgot! I can't believe I almost forgot!" She swiftly opened the bag she'd brought with her, pulled the wrapped package from her bag and presented it to Harry with a big grin and a peck on the lips. "Happy 16th birthday Harry James Potter."

* * *

Harry took the wrapped package from Maggie and held it in slightly shaking hands before tearing it open. Inside was two items. One was a box, that had obviously been opened, and had a familiar shape on the front.

"Y-you got me an Ipod?" He looked, shocked, at Maggie, who just stared excitedly back at him.

"Sorry about it already being opened," here she looked slightly sheepish. "I took the liberty of putting some of the songs I noticed you liking in particular, and some from genres we never got around to listening to on it. I wanted you to have something that you could use and that would bring you some peace. Do you like it" He didn't even bother verbally responding, just tackled her into a big hug and peppered her face with featherlight kisses, causing her to break out into bright laughter.

"Harry, s-stop, that tickles, and besides you didn't see what else I got you." Conceding that she had a fair point, Harry gave her one more solid peck on the lips before sitting back up and grabbing the second item that had been wrapped. It was a slender book, and Harry opened it only to gasp at what he saw. PIctures. Of him, of Maggie, of him and Maggie together. Pictures of them laughing, and watching TV, and even a few of them lounging under their tree which he suspected had been taken by a concerned and protective father. He looked up at Maggie and smiled softly at her.

"This is perfect Mags….thank you." She only blushed and grabbed his hand, squeezing gently.

"No Harry...thank you." It was then that Harry realized that it was probably nearing three and if he wanted to actually be able to wake up in time for Dumbledore, then he should probably get back to the Dursley's soon. Maggie seemed to have the same thought because the air suddenly grew thick with tension.

"We-should probably start packing up." It pained Harry to say the words, and it was hard to get them out past the lump that suddenly appeared in his throat. Maggie only nodded, and the cleanup began in total silence.

* * *

The picnic was cleaned up, and the materials were at Harry's feet. Now Harry and Maggie stood at three a.m. on the sidewalk between numbers 4 and 5 on Privet Drive. Maggie's breath caught in her throat. _This is it. This is really goodbye._ "Harry," her voice broke and she flung herself into his arms, burying her head into his chest for the last time. He clung to her just as tightly as she did him and Maggie focused on the sound of Harry's heartbeat under her ear. She drew in a deep breath to the steady _thump thump_ and once she had calmed down she raised her head from Harry's chest to look him in the eye. He looked down at her with something unfathomable shining in his stunning emerald orbs and kissed her for the last time. It tasted like Harry and oreo's; like summer rain and something that might've been love. It tasted like goodbye.

* * *

They pulled back from each other, gave the other one last, sad smile, and then Maggie turned and walked the rest of the way to her house. Just like that first day, Harry waited until her door clicked shut before turning and returning to the Dursley house, alone. It was late and he was exhausted, but he made sure to pack his new photo album into his trunk before he fell asleep to the music Maggie had shown him playing in his ears.

Harry was still not really ready to leave at 8 a.m. that morning, but he did regardless. As he approached the burrow with the headmaster by his side after recruiting the new professor Harry felt the familiar weight of the Wizarding World settle back upon his shoulders. He certainly hadn't missed it, although it seemed somehow lighter than before. Harry entered the burrow and was immediately bombarded by hugs from Hermione and shouts of greeting from all of the Weasley family. He was drained, emotionally and physically, from the previous night but still managed to muster up a convincing smile for everyone. His birthday celebrations went off without a hitch but that night when he was supposed to be asleep, Harry found that he couldn't. He thought of many things. He thought of Sirius, and of the prophecy, of what new dangers the upcoming year would bring. Mostly he thought of Maggie. Her smile, and her laugh and her uncanny ability to make him feel absolutely normal and yet incredibly special at the same time. He knew that had he had more time with her he could've loved her and the thought of never seeing her again caused an ache to grow in his chest even as a smile grew on his face at the thought of her.

* * *

Maggie slept in as long as possible. She didn't want to wake up. Didn't want to have to face the reality that by now Harry Potter was long gone and she would probably never see him again. At noon she decided to get out of bed and at least try to do something with her life. By that time her father was already at work so she could wallow around the house in her pajamas all day and no-one would be any the wiser. Shuffling down the stairs took more energy than Maggie had thought it would and once she got to the bottom she was sorely tempted to just turn right back around and retreat back to the sanctuary of her bed. Until she saw it. Lying innocently on the kitchen table was her copy of The Count of Monte Cristo and on top of it was a folded piece of paper. With shaking hands Maggie sat and unfolded the letter that could only be from Harry. She read it, and wept for the boy with the beautiful emerald eyes.

 _Mags,_

 _Thank you for lending me this. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this book. When you first handed me this book two months ago there was no way I would have thought that you would change my life like you did. But you did. Thank you for introducing me to this book, and to movies, and music and for letting me get to know you. Margaret Graham._

" _There are two ways of seeing: with the body and with the soul. The body's sight can sometimes forget but the soul will remember forever."_

 _This was a favorite quote of mine from the book. Maybe one day, I'll forget the exact shade of your hair, or the timbre of your laugh, but I will never forget how valuable your friendship has been to me, and how much you changed my life for the better._

 _Yours,_

 _Harry J. Potter_

* * *

 **A/N:** Here it is...last real chapter. Love it? Hate it? This has been a great journey for me and I really want to thank everyone for all of the support and kind reviews. It means a lot to me. Thanks :)


	7. Epilogue

**A/N:** Okay, I had to write a very brief epilogue. Some background before you read, Harry and Ginny never dated, Ron and Hermione did **very** briefly before calling it quits but otherwise canon happened as it did in the books. Epilogue in books is obviously not applicable at all here….anywho...enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** If you recognize it, it isn't mine :)

* * *

Epilogue

Harry James Potter, aged 21, strolled through the University campus looking for the cafe that Hermione had mentioned wanting to meet up at and not finding it anywhere. Rain was starting to pour in torrents and seeing as he was in the middle of muggle-central, he couldn't very well cast a drying charm on himself so Harry ducked into the nearest building which happened to be a campus bookstore. The small shop was warm, and the packed-with-books look gave it a very cozy and homey feel. Harry was positive this was where Hermione spent any extra free time that she had. There was music playing gently in the background, a song that Harry felt was vaguely familiar but couldn't quite place, but it gave him a decidedly nostalgic feeling.

Deciding that there was no harm in browsing the place while he waited for the downpour to at least let up, Harry started to walk amongst the shelves. That nostalgic feeling kept prodding at him, and suddenly a title stuck out in his mind, a book that he wondered why he hadn't re-read before. Just as he came to his mental conclusion he also came across the only other person in the store who he assumed was the employee working at the moment. She was facing away from him but there was something familiar about those brown curls that had him pausing for a brief moment before approaching her. He came up behind her and coughed once to get her attention.

"Excuse me ma'am? You wouldn't happen to sell The Count of Monte Cristo here would you?" It was only when the employee turned that Harry realized the "familiar" song that was playing was "Skinny Love."

* * *

Maggie sighed in pleasure as she listened to the rain outside. She really had quite the lovely life. After a falling out with her mother she had decided to pursue a higher education in England instead of the States and she was sure she had never been more happy with that decision than she was in this moment. Her, working in her college bookstore, in England, with a torrential downpour outside. Absolutely perfect. The jingle of the bell was heard by her but she decided to just let whoever it was browse a bit before offering assistance. God knows she hated it when sales assistants harped at her the moment she entered a store, why should bookshop be any different? It took a minute or two for the customer to meander his way over to her and the soft spoken question had her smiling to herself.

"Excuse me ma'am? You wouldn't happen to sell The Count of Monte Cristo here would you?" Maggie turned to tell the customer that _Absolutely we do sir!_ and froze in her tracks. Her eyes met a pair of captivating emerald ones and before she could help it she let out a single choked word.

"Harry?"

* * *

 **A/N:** I'll leave the rest up to your imagination :) Although I will tell you that in _my_ head they live happily ever after because they deserve it damnit. Review and let me know what you think, constructive criticism is appreciated :)


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